Skippy has Angel Wings

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you very much for the help! I'll see how they like it

Let us know how it goes. Mine can just about tell time when it comes to their afternoon treat. They all wait outside the door for me to get it mixed and brought out for them.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Let us know how it goes. Mine can just about tell time when it comes to their afternoon treat. They all wait outside the door for me to get it mixed and brought out for them. 

Thank you for helping, Miss Lydia... I've not had any emergencies or issues with any of my ducks so far (knocks on wood) so I really wasn't sure... just was hoping to get more experienced eyes on the issue...

 

[Miss Lydia]

I posted a few weeks ago about my Blue Swedish, Skippy, who was being picked on by his flock. I separated him, since the bullying was pretty bad, by spreading chicken wire across the pen to make two. He was so desperate to get to the other ducks, he rubbed his bill raw on the wire.

I noticed his wings looked odd, but I just thought it was the way he was standing... I did a little research and found something called Angel Wings. It looks very similar to what Skippy has going on, but I heard it is very uncommon for it to affect both wings? His diet is the same as the other ducks. They've all been on Flock Raiser crumbles. I don't feed them bread or anything with sugar or anything else that is known to cause this.

I have him inside the house again so I can monitor him a little better and keep his bill clean until that heals.

He's been an odd duck from the get-go, so is it possible this is a genetic thing? Can he live a normal life? I want him to live a quality, pain free life. Is there anything more I can do for him?

Is there one of the other ducks that is nice to Skippy? he may like it better if he has a buddy while inside. Get him on some good quality poultry vitamins too. Where did you get Skippy? His feathers look pretty rough like it's a nutrient def.But this could also be genetic. But Flock raiser is a good quality product I used it for years from hatch on to end of life. No spinach it does something with calcium just can't remember what at the moment. Make sure while you have him inside that you offer him grit along with his feed not in the same bowl but a separate bowl so he can use it as needed. He looks so sweet, I hope something we recommend will help him get on track health wise.

Tell us about Skippy how is he as far as his personality does he seem happy talking and doing ducky things like foraging and swimming etc?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you for helping, Miss Lydia... I've not had any emergencies or issues with any of my ducks so far (knocks on wood) so I really wasn't sure... just was hoping to get more experienced eyes on the issue...

Thank you for your experience in sharing what you know. we all help each other.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Thank you for your experience in sharing what you know. we all help each other.

That we do!

Oh, spinach binds to calcium preventing it from being absorbed properly...

 

[Amiga]

I think Skippy may have higher nutrient needs than the rest of the flock. If it were me, I would put him on Mazuri Breeder food or Countryside Organic (those are the two best waterfowl foods I know of), and add poultry vitamins with electrolytes and probiotics to the water once a week for the next few months.

Rowena looked a bit like that when we first got her - she's looking much better.

In an ideal situation, you could get to a waterfowl vet who might do some blood testing.

One possibility also might be that Skippy has parasites, but I kinda doubt it.

Does Skippy have access to a swim pan? I would get the little one into a tub of warmish - 80F - water and first see if Skippy floats. If not, get Skippy out and towel him off very well - don't let him get chilled.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That we do!

Oh, spinach binds to calcium preventing it from being absorbed properly...

That's it thank you.

 

[Alexc844]

Is there one of the other ducks that is nice to Skippy? he may like it better if he has a buddy while inside. Get him on some good quality poultry vitamins too. Where did you get Skippy? His feathers look pretty rough like it's a nutrient def.But this could also be genetic. But Flock raiser is a good quality product I used it for years from hatch on to end of life. No spinach it does something with calcium just can't remember what at the moment. Make sure while you have him inside that you offer him grit along with his feed not in the same bowl but a separate bowl so he can use it as needed. He looks so sweet, I hope something we recommend will help him get on track health wise.

Tell us about Skippy how is he as far as his personality does he seem happy talking and doing ducky things like foraging and swimming etc?

I have 3 other ducks and they all pick on him. His brother might be okay if he is taken from the Pekins, can see how he does with just Skippy. His feathers are kind of rough, but he is puffed up in this picture, hissing at me. He was mad after I cleaned his bill

.
I got Skippy from a lady on Craigslist, selling ducklings. I don't think she is a breeder, per se, as his first sibling from the same batch died right off the bat. I think it was just a bad batch His "brother" I have now is from a different batch, and is a few weeks older than Skip.

As far as his personality goes, he's far more content inside than he is outside. He's spent more of his life inside so I can monitor his health. He's had issues almost from the beginning. He talks to me when I talk to him, but he is pretty quiet generally. He went through a period where he was having seizures, so he really hasn't been exposed to a pool since then. I've been so afraid of him drowning. Now that he is inside, I will fill up the tub and see how he does with that.

 

[Alexc844]

I think Skippy may have higher nutrient needs than the rest of the flock. If it were me, I would put him on Mazuri Breeder food or Countryside Organic (those are the two best waterfowl foods I know of), and add poultry vitamins with electrolytes and probiotics to the water once a week for the next few months.

Rowena looked a bit like that when we first got her - she's looking much better.

In an ideal situation, you could get to a waterfowl vet who might do some blood testing.

One possibility also might be that Skippy has parasites, but I kinda doubt it.

Does Skippy have access to a swim pan? I would get the little one into a tub of warmish - 80F - water and first see if Skippy floats. If not, get Skippy out and towel him off very well - don't let him get chilled.

I don't think he has parasites. I think you're right in that he just needs more nutrients. He hasn't been exposed to water since his seizures a month or so ago. I didn't want him to drown. He's been seizure free for a while now, and with him in the house I will try filling up the tub and monitoring him.

He's on duramycin 10 (tetracycline hydrochloride) right now. Is it okay to add vitamins and probiotics to the water with that?

 

[Amiga]

I don't think he has parasites. I think you're right in that he just needs more nutrients. He hasn't been exposed to water since his seizures a month or so ago. I didn't want him to drown. He's been seizure free for a while now, and with him in the house I will try filling up the tub and monitoring him.

He's on duramycin 10 (tetracycline hydrochloride) right now. Is it okay to add vitamins and probiotics to the water with that?

I would.